Anne's Blog: Which do I prefer, painting or sculpture?

Monday 17 June 2019

Which do I prefer, painting or sculpture?

PAINTING OR SCULPTURE?

Which do I prefer, painting or sculpture?
This is a question I hear so many times when people see the range of my work.

Unfortunately the modern perception of art has been influenced by the marketing of artworks. The commercial galleries need artists that have an easily recognisable and marketable style. The more straightforward and eye catching they are, the better, from the seller's point of view. Thus, the existence of this simplistic view that artists just perfect themselves in one medium.

I use many different methods to express my visual thinking. Generally speaking a painting, shows emotion through colour and composition, and a sculpture shows presence through movement and form. So depending on what I feel about the subject and the message I want to communicate, will indicate what method I will use. Different mediums therefore give me a greater versatility for visual communication.

Below are two examples of the same subject matter in both oil painting and in bronze, which I hope goes someway to answering the question.

The oil painting of the mute swan swimming depicts the transparency and soft dryness of the feathers contrasted with the wet water. These colour harmonies created by low sunlight and blue overhead sky attenuate the very aggressive pose and mask the powerful movement of this cob ( male swan).

SHIP OF CREAM. Oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm

Whereas the sculpture ( photographed in clay before being cast into bronze) portrays the strength, dignity and power of the bird. The dimensions, which are about 25% larger than life size, increase this impact.

FACING THE FUTURE - clay for bronze Height - 177cm, wingtip to wingtip -183cm.

I wanted to show the quality of great age, and seeming wisdom in the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. They appear to me to be a species that got stuck along the evolutionary path, and then isolated on lost islands. Using a restricted palette of colours I chose to show the form through tone, giving attention to textures. The triangular composition and the low viewpoint to help to add weight and stability to the subjects.

LIVING RELICS Oil on canvas 60 x 75cm

The Giant Tortoise has an inquisitive nature and can strike an interesting pose if you're quick to catch it, though their movements are limited. This is a small model (about one fifth of life size), so it was difficult to accentuate the weight of the animal, but the patina achieved in the bronze demonstrates the wonderful variety of surface textures in these reptiles.